Thursday, March 31, 2011

Center Says Japan Should Cover Fukushima Plant: NOW

According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), four out of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant were damaged beyond repair in Japan’s devastating tsunami. The International Atomic Energy Agency has urged the Japanese government to consider widening the evacuation zone around the facility. Recent radiation readings outside the exclusion zone show radiation substantially higher than levels at which the U.N. nuclear agency would recommend evacuations.

The debate about the evacuation zone ignores the necessity to seal the site.  The Center is recommending around the clock dumpings of boron, sand, salt, gravel, cement, concrete, and anthing else that will cover that site.  A boron saturated 'rubble fill' should rise to about 500 feet.  That should seal the radiation and prevent it from escaping the site.  A 300 foot bulkhead should be bored into the ocean side of the site to prevent additional releases into the ocean environment.

Japanese officials have told residents to evacuate within a 12-mile zone and to stay indoors within 18 miles of the damaged complex, but U.S. NRC officials have recommended that American citizens stay at least 50 miles away.
Japan appears to be trying to salvage reactors No. 5 and 6 at the plant for some future operation.  Forget about it.  Seal the entire site.  It is dead.  And will remain so FOREVER.

Levels of iodine-131 were 3,355 times the legal safety limit, up from the previous high of 1,850 times the limit that was recorded Sunday, officials said.

Hundreds of engineers are working to bring the nuclear plant under control, including many consultants from other countries. This is stupid at this point.  The site is devastated and there is no redeeming value for the site.  Anything other than constructing a sarkofagus is futile.  Why don't the engineers GET THAT?
Any worker stupid enough to sacrifice his or her life to try to do anything except seal the site is just stupid. 

SEAL THE SITE.  SEAL IT NOW.  SEAL IT FOREVER. (Wash Post, 3/31/2011)

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